Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

3

The elementary academy I would be attending was located in Legram, an hour’s journey away.

I caught a ride on Max’s carriage to Legram.

“If you find things challenging, consult with me. Don’t suffer in silence.”

“It’s okay. It’s just an elementary academy.”

“Even if it’s elementary, many people gather there. Among them, there are likely to be many from prestigious families.”

Max was rambling on about his academy experiences.

Although it was a fact I already knew thanks to Alse’s memories, it was helpful.

The academy was divided into elementary, middle, and high school levels. Elementary and middle school classes were typically attended by commoners and nobles together.

“So, disputes often arise between commoners and nobles. In the end, no matter what happens, the blame usually falls on the commoners.”

“I see….”

“Still, keep in mind. They are just like us, the same kind of people. Just because we are nobles, it doesn’t mean we should treat them with disdain or scorn. That’s an outdated mindset.”

“I know.”

“Good, that’s all. …Ah, looks like we’ve arrived. Yumir, I’ll leave Alz to you.”

Max headed down midway towards his workplace, while I got off at a point 2km further.

In front of me was the Officer Training Department of the Legram Elementary Academy.

Little kids of my age were lined up in front.

The number was 70, including myself. There were 8 kids who seemed noble, including me.

“Alright, looks like everyone’s here.”

A man who seemed like a guide nodded his head and began leading us towards the training grounds.

“Do your best, young lords.”

“It’s fine. It’s just the first day anyway.”

I’ll probably just sit around and listen to explanations, right?

That was merely wishful thinking.

In military training camps, they say there’s no training on the first day.

Here, however, they dove straight into training from day one.

“Hanat!”

Thud!

“Two!”

Thud! The kids moved flawlessly in unison following the commands.

The training on the first day, naturally, was formal drill training.

The kids moved with a desperate expression, making sure not to make a single mistake.

From my perspective, who had experienced the military, it was nothing but yawning.

“The formation is getting sloppy! Stay focused! Start over!”

The kids started to falter in their movements as the training reached its midpoint. The concentration was slipping, and the formation was starting to break.

The faces of the kids, who thought they would be reprimanded for such failures, were slowly turning gloomy.

As always, just before the kids burst into tears, the officers finished the formal training and brought in some entertainment to lighten the mood.

It was the strategy of the stick and carrot.

“Everyone pay attention. Do you know what this is?”

The officer pointed to a black-and-white checkered board. It was a chessboard.

The kids nodded, indicating they knew.

The officer continued, “Chess, a widely spread pastime on the continent, is also related to our military. Does anyone know why?”

Numerous kids raised their hands, but the officer specifically pointed to the noble boy standing at the front.

“It’s because the chess pieces are modeled after soldiers!”

“Correct. To be precise, it’s modeling a whole army. The army that protects the king.”

In this world, chess was considered one of the noble’s accomplishments. Therefore, being good at chess earned nobles fame.

Just like in modern times, where a kid who excels in math might be called a prodigy, here, being skilled at chess earned one the title of prodigy.

“Well, since today is the first day of training, I don’t intend to be too harsh. So, anyone among the officer candidates willing to play chess?”

Amid the quietness, a spark! The first kid to raise his hand was the one who answered confidently a little while ago.

The instructor narrowed his eyes with interest upon seeing the lad.

“Oh. Casper Millias. Are you stepping up… Good. Come here.”

The lad with graceful movements approached the chessboard.

With a gaze that showed no expectations, the instructor asked again.

“Is there any cadet willing to be the opponent?”

Some commoner lads raised their hands, but the officers pretended not to notice.

Their eyes were solely on the noble kids.

However, without any fear of those noble lads, I raised my hand, ready to face the lad seated at the chessboard.

“Even if you’re not good, go ahead and raise your hand.”

When the officer openly said so, the commoner kids who had their hands up reluctantly put them down.

“Well, it should be fine for a pastime.”

As it seemed I might be late getting home at this rate, I decided to raise my hand.

“I will do it.”

“And you…?”

An inquiring gaze.

I had just realized which house the lad was from, so I naturally assumed the instructor knew too.

“I am Alse Chasing Iline.”

“Iline…? Ah, yes. A ward of Earl Iline. Good. Come here.”

Seated at the chessboard, I carefully placed my pieces, mimicking the lad’s movements in case the way of placing pieces in this world was different.

Seeing this, my opponent sighed in boredom, thinking I was a novice.

Then, without consulting me, he rotated the chessboard and placed the white pieces in front of me.

He was conceding the first move.

“Go ahead.”

“….”

Did he see through this pretentious lad?

I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt as a lad, but perhaps it would be better to handle him strictly.

“Well then, I will start first… Try not to cry in the middle, okay?”

“Cry? Ha! Do you think I would lose to a kid like you?”

“Alright, alright. If you’re a genius, I probably wouldn’t be able to beat you. If you really are a genius.”

Thud! I moved the pawn forward, commencing the opening.

Chess was a complex and subtle game for me.

It was a game that allowed me to be called a genius a little longer, having failed in baduk, yet in a way, it also completely ruined me.

If I hadn’t started playing chess in middle school and lived as an ordinary student, my life could have been different.

At that time, my father insisted on studying normally, while my mother argued that I should try chess, leading to the collapse of our family.

It was a bitter past for me, but now, I had no regrets about playing chess.

Even if I had studied to become a judge or doctor, the satisfaction of life would have been the same.

Unlike baduk, which made me cringe just by looking at the board, chess was something I played occasionally to maintain my skills.

“Check.”

“Ugh!”

Thud! Declaring check by capturing the opponent’s bishop with my knight.

I provoked with aggressive moves, leading the game into chaos.

When such chaos unfolds and reading the moves becomes complex, children show two reactions.

They either break through the chaos with boldness and creativity or lose composure, revealing vulnerabilities.

The former case is a true genius. Stories of becoming a chess world champion at the age of 10 belong here.

On the other hand, fake geniuses exhibit the latter reaction.

“Uh…!”

“No. If you leave it there, it’ll be checkmate in six moves.”

“Shh, quiet!”

Hesitant youngsters. Eventually, to extinguish the fire in front of them, they make the worst moves.

Clang! Bishops and knights completely surrounding the king.

“Double check. No matter where you move next, it’s checkmate. Game over.”

“Uh, oh…”

“Good job. You’re quite good. Skill-wise… well, somewhere between low-level and intermediate AI.”

At this age, having that level of skill is considered quite impressive.

Whoa! Cheers echoed from all around.

“Caspar Millias is defeated. What in the world…!?”

“Who’s that kid?”

“They say he’s Lord Alc Ilane.”

“First time hearing about him.”

The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement.

The instructor, who had been closely observing the match, told me:

“He’s Alc Ilane.”

“Yes.”

“He’s quite skilled. To ridicule and suppress Millias’s prodigy…”

“…Prodigy?”

It was unbelievable.

A kid with this level of skill was as rare in modern times as a truckload of empty promises. With this skill, making prodigy noises and strutting around was a perfect way to invite ridicule.

It seemed that in this world, while the range in chess skills was vast, the average skill level wasn’t as high as one might think.

***

On the evening after the first day at the academy, the Ilane family dinner was disrupted.

Max cautiously asked me:

“Younger brother, did you happen to play chess at the academy?”

“What? What are you talking about, Max?”

I continued eating, feigning ignorance.

Nevertheless, as Max persisted, Father, who couldn’t stand it anymore, said:

“Max, what’s gotten into you?”

“Well, it’s… this lad seems to have caused trouble at the academy.”

“Caused trouble? Did he hit someone? Well, children can get into fights. If he hit a high-ranking noble, I may have to go apologize myself…”

“It’s not that kind of trouble. Alc here defeated Millias Viscount’s heir in a game of chess.”

“Viscount Milias’s heir? If he’s similar to Alss….”

“Yes, Casper Milias. That’s who we’re talking about.”

At this, not only my father but even Miller, my older brother, widened their eyes.

“Is that true, Alss?”

“I’m not sure. I just happened to win by chance while moving my pieces.”

“Hmm? It’s unlikely for a chess game to turn out like that. Maybe it was because it was a match between children.”

My father chuckled.

I regretted hastily playing the game.

Ignoring the fact that the protagonist’s name was revealed after meeting him; I never wanted to hear the name Casper Milias since I was young.

Not only did I dislike hearing the annoying name, but the possibility of the story taking a completely different direction from what I knew made me uneasy.

“I never thought he was that famous.”

In this world, it seemed that titles like ‘dog’ or ‘cow’ were not used as derogatory terms like in modern times. Perhaps due to the nature of nobility, the influence of titles was quite significant.

Father nodded with interest.

“After dinner, come to my room. I want to see for myself.”

“Yes….”

Since I disliked being referred to by a title, I decided to pull back and yield appropriately.

Yet, it seemed that even this was seen as a decent skill, as my father intended to assign me a chess tutor despite the lack of resources.

“It’s alright. I have no interest in chess.”

“What a pity. Won’t you reconsider? You seem to have talent.”

“Even if you ask me to reconsider….”

A chess tutor. There couldn’t have been a more wasteful use of time.

Because in this world, there was probably no one capable of teaching me.